Being a Cubs fan first and a Brewers fan second, I hate to say “I told you so”, but the Brewers should have known better.

In the last two or three seasons, Ramirez has been a slow starter and injured too often to warrant a deal the size he was given by the Brewers for $36 million for three years. Sure, you’ll get a .280 or better avergae, 20+ home runs, and 80+ RBIs, but his defense is still VERY sub-par (the only reason it wasn’t awful after 2003 is because he was throwing to gold-glover Derek Lee) and his lack of hustle running the bases is well-documented. Is that really worthy of $12 million per year?

In his defense, though, Ramirez was a very good clutch hitter while with the Cubs, so I’m hoping the Brewers can capitalize on that aspect of his game; he needs to earn that money somehow.